audio reseach ref 3 or krell KTC...?

By the way, if you think cast sounds the best...well, maybe you have had a limited experience with high end cablees and equipment...I've done extensive a/b testing with balanced vs cast(including siltech)..cast is average sounding at best. The new evo rig is for advanced musicaly that my FPB/KCT setup sounded hard and thin in comparison. I had the ref 3 as well for awhile...the 202 krell is globaly more lifelike..the ref 3 is audio surrealism!

Additionally, I believe (though I am not 100% sure) that the ARC is a full tubed preamp and does not have coupling capacitors in use for its output. Krell does recommend that if you use a full tubed preamp that you activate the coupling capacitors in your Krell amp for protection for DC signals. Of course, you are now adding these caps into the signal (the only caps in the Krell signal) so this may impact the sound as well of the amplifier.

Just out of curiosity, any krell amp owners running all tubed pre-amps (without coupling capacitors to prevent the passing of possible DC - ie. from the tubes) into their Krell amps? Have you activated the coupling capacitors in your krell amps? If not, any problems? What preamps are you running?

Have had many ARC/Krell combos and never a problem...the caps will kill the krells sound!!

Dave,

Have you ever had a problem? I just read an ad recently where somebody sent their FPB in for servicing resulting from damage from a tubed preamp leaking DC.

Since I have not yet converted my Krell to include the caps active, can you give me any indication of the sonic impact?

ckoffend, I have used an LS25, RefII and RefIII with Krell 600, 400 and evo 402 amps..no problems. Caps will kill tone color, soundstage and transparency.